Hong Kong Day 2

My second day in Hong Kong again started with breakfast with Dan at the coffee shop.

From there I took the MTR to Kowloon, located on the edge of the mainland of China and just across the water from the central part of the city of Hong Kong.

Nathan Road the main thoroughfare in Kowloon, runs in a south-north direction from Tsim Sha Tsui to Mong Kok. It is lined with shops, restaurants and tourists.

Nathan Road

Kowloon’s ‘Golden Mile’, (named after former Sir Matthew Nathan) is a bit of a traffic- and pedestrian-choked scrum of electronics shops and tenement blocks. It is nonetheless an iconic Hong Kong scene stacked with seedy guesthouses awkwardly rubbing shoulders with top-end hotels, touts selling ‘copy’ watches and tailors plying their trade on street corners. If that makes it sound edgy, in reality it is completely safe.

I stopped to visit the infamous Chungkign Mansions. The building is well known as some of the cheapest accommodations in Hong Kong.

Chungking Mansions features guesthouses, curry restaurants, shops and foreign exchange offices. It often acts as a large gathering place for some of the ethnic minorities in Hong Kong.

The building's infamy is fueled by tales both tall and true of conflagrations, crimes and unclaimed bodies. The entrance to Chungking Mansions is via Chungking Arcade, a parade of shops that faces Nathan Rd.

I then headed south, back down Nathan Road towards the Victoria Harbor Waterfront and Chungking's polar opposite, the Peninsula.

The Peninsula Hong Kong is one of the most internationally recognizable hotels in Hong Kong. Opened in 1928, it is Hong Kong's most historical hotel. It is located at the junction of Nathan Road and Sasilsbury Road. The Peninsula has been voted the world's best hotel on several occasions, and is widely regarded as one of the region's legendary properties.

I continued further towards the Victoria Harbor Waterfront, to the Clock Tower.

The Clock Tower is a landmark in Hong Kong, located on the southern shore of Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon. It is the only remnant of the original site of the former Kowloon Station on the Kowloon-Canton Railway. Officially named Former Kowloon-Canton Railway Clock Tower, it is usually referred to as the Tsim Sha Tsui Clock for its location.

Built out of red bricks and granite, the Clock Tower peaks at 44 metres, and is topped by a 7-metre ligtening rod.

The Clock Tower has been listed as a declared monument in Hong Kong since 1990.

The promenade provides an impressive view of the Hong Kong skyline and the numerous ships gliding up the channel.

The recently opened Avenue of the Stars, built along the promenade outside the New World Center, is modeled on the Hollywood Walk Fame. It honors the most illustrious people the Hong Kong film industry has produced over the past decades.

I traveled down the promeade to the Hong Kong Museum of Art (free admission on Wednesdays!). Built to preserve the cultural heritage of China, its collections number in excess of 15,000 art objects, including Chinese paintings and calligraphy works, antique Chinese treasures, paintings of historical significance as well as creations by local artists.

I most enjoyed a special exhibition, “The Ultimate South China Travel Guide – Canton”, an exhibition in the style of a travel guidebook, in which historical information in art works in reflect the golden era of China trade and the history of “export art” during the Qing dynasty.

I headed back up Nathan Road to Kowloon Park.

Located in the central zone of Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon Park is one of the largest parks in Kowloon, covering an area of about 13.5 hectares (about 33 acres). It is said to be the 'green lung' at the centre of city.

The park was opened by the then Governor, Sir David Trench on June 24th. In 1989, it was rebuilt, funded by the former Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club at a cost of about HK$300 million.

The park was built in a classical Chinese style, with an attractive variety of rarely-seen beautiful birds and flowers.

The park boasts an abundance of scenic spots and enough establishments for tourists to enjoy themselves. The scenic spots mainly include the Maze Garden, Color Garden, Chinese Garden, Roof Gardens, Banyan Court and Bird Lake.

After the Park, I admittadly got lost, and decided to end my day early and go back to the hotel. I napped and waited for Dan, and we took the Star Ferry back across Victoria Harbor to watch The Symphony of Lights.



The Symphony of Lights is a synchronised decorative light and laser multimedia display, featuring 44 buildings on both sides of the Victoria Harbor, accompanied by music. The technology was developed by Australian firm Laservision and cost approximately HK44 million It has attracted over 4 million visitors and locals so far.

Guiness World Records has named A Symphony of Lights the world's largest permanent light and sound show.

After the show, we took the very back to Hong Kong island, and ate dinner at "Celebrity Cusine", our Hotel's restaurant.